What Do Millennials Think About Healthcare Marketing?

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As marketers, we hear a lot about millennials—who they are, how to market to them, why to care about them, and so on. At this point, there’s some saturation around the topic. When it comes to healthcare marketing, though, not so much.

Unfortunately, many healthcare marketers are not even thinking about marketing to millennials. As millennials take over the bulk of the buying power in America, though, this generation will start to have an impact on the bottom lines of all health systems.

In this blog, I’ll break down the two most important elements you need to consider before launching a millennial-focused healthcare marketing strategy:

Who are Millennials? (And, Are They a Myth?)

What Do Millennials Think About Healthcare?

Who are Millennials? (And, Are They a Myth?)

Born between 1982-2004, millennials are the largest generation in America right now. While many people think of millennials as young adults in their 20s, the millennial generation stretches into 35 year-olds, many of whom are starting families of their own. In fact, millennials are also the most diverse generation in American history. This begs the question, then, whether millennials are nothing more than a myth. After all, it’s hard to apply accurate labels to a group of 13 year-olds to 35 year-olds that is breaking records in terms of both its size and its diversity.

Of course, millennials are real. But some of our understandings of the group are somewhat mythical, or they are just plain irrelevant to your healthcare marketing efforts. The key is to treat millennials with the same nuance you would any of your other audiences and to know the millennial qualities that you can leverage successfully.

Marketing to Millennials: What Matters to Healthcare Marketers

It can be said without question that millennials are digital natives. More than 90% of them own smart phones, and more than 90% of millennials use social media daily. It follows, then, that they are they tech-savviest generation so far, and they strongly prefer mobile use to desktop use. Finally, millennials want their advertising in the form of entertainment. A better way to say this might be that they don’t want advertising at all, so if you want a chance to successfully market to millennials, it better happen in an entertaining way

How Do Millennials Think About Healthcare?

When it comes to millennials, gone are the days of regular check-ups and lifetime doctor loyalty. Along with a propensity for digital, mobile, and entertainment, millennials have shown significant trends that are specific to healthcare services consumption. When tailoring your healthcare marketing to millennials, make sure to keep the following facts and figures in mind:

50% Reported they had no personal relationship with their primary care physician. (Salesforce survey, 2015)

74% Are interested in telemedicine. (Harris Poll survey, 2015)

71% Would like to have their providers use mobile apps to book appointments, share health data, and manage preventative care. (Salesforce survey, 2015)

50% Compare insurance options online. (PNC Healthcare survey, 2015)

Overall, Most likely to ask for a discount, ask for a cheaper treatment option, request a price check or appeal an insurance decision when compared to other generations. (PwC’s Health Research Institute)

78% utilize online reviews when deciding which products to use or services to buy

Getting up to speed with millennial healthcare consumer habits is essential, and you risk falling victim to outdated marketing tactics if you wait too much longer to get started. Of course, there are the obvious things you can do to deal with these changes—emphasizing digital, making the switch to mobile, and focusing your efforts on more compelling marketing. When it comes to long-term strategic changes, though, healthcare marketers need to rethink their approach with an engaging, comprehensive digital media plan.

Stay tuned for next week’s blog to find out how to do this—or watch the webinar now for OhioHealth’s best tips on reaching and retaining millennials.

About Victoria Grieshammer

Victoria Grieshammer is the Senior Marketing Coordinator of Content Development at Fathom. Formerly, she was the Head of Marketing on the Fathom Manufacturing team. Victoria joined Fathom as an Associate Copywriter after graduating from Allegheny College with degrees in English and Psychology. Her previous experience includes e-commerce copywriting at Little Tikes and coordinating social media campaigns for small businesses, giving her a varied background in digital marketing. You can also find her on Twitter at @Vgrieshammer1.

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